System and method for seamlessly providing video content to client systems over a network

ABSTRACT

A system and method for providing video content to a client system is disclosed. The system includes a server and a computer coupled by a network. The server obtains operating environment information of the computer in response to a request for video content from the computer. The server selects a version of the requested video content for sending based on the obtained operating environment information. The selected video can be received by the computer at the computer&#39;s particular connection speed over the network and can be played by the computer using its particular video player. The server sends the selected video to the computer and causes the computer to automatically begin playing the video without requiring any overt interaction by the operator of the computer.

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/455,601 filed on Mar. 19, 2003, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD

This invention relates generally to network communications and, more particularly, to a method and system for providing requested video to a client system and enabling the client system to receive and play video without requiring any overt operator interaction.

BACKGROUND

With the proliferation of connections to the Internet by a rapidly growing number of users, the viability of the Internet as a widely accepted medium of communication has increased correspondingly. Internet technology is changing rapidly to cope with ever increasing demands, and the faster the technology changes, the more services users expect from the Internet. For example, users were once satisfied with text and still images on their Web pages, but now they demand video to be delivered quickly and to be presented with a high degree of quality.

Video is often delivered over the Internet in the form of streaming video, although there are other ways to deliver video. With streaming video, lectures or seminars can be broadcasted, announcements can be made, or demonstrations on how to do something can be delivered to users. Streaming video allows users to view video over the Internet as the video is being downloaded instead of waiting until the entire file is downloaded. After the user's machine spends a few seconds buffering a portion of the downloaded streaming video, the machine is able to begin playing the video using a video player installed on the machine. Some of the most popular streaming video players currently being used include Windows Media Player®, Apple Quicktime® and RealVideo®. Streaming video has become so common that most client machines, such as personal computers, have one or more streaming video players already installed when purchased from a retailer.

While streaming video has enriched the online experience, users often find accessing the video to be difficult. When a user finds some video content they would like to download from a Website, the user must provide information about their machine's operating environment to the Website. The Website needs this information so it can provide the correct version of the video based on the particular video player installed on the user's machine, the video player's version, the particular operating system installed on the user's machine, the operating system's version, and what network bandwidth speed the user's machine is connected at.

The most common way for a Website to obtain this information is to ask the user a series of questions or provide several drop down menus. However, this requires the users to have some knowledge of their machine's operating environment. Users savvy enough to be able to provide their machine's environment information find this process tedious and cumbersome. Some users may not bother with providing the Website with the information needed to determine the correct version of the video to send. Other users who are not familiar with their machine's environment information will simply give up trying to download the video rather than spend time trying to obtain this information. Aside from depriving the user from viewing the video, there may be other less obvious but far reaching consequences. For instance, the video may contain advertisements in which case the advertisers lose potential sales.

SUMMARY

A system for providing content to a client system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention includes an assessment system and a content processing system. The assessment system obtains content presentation environment information associated with the client system. The content presentation environment information is based on an operating environment evaluation of the client system that is performed by an evaluation system. The content processing system selects one of a plurality of versions of the content to send the client system using the obtained content presentation environment information.

A method and a program storage device readable by a machine and tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine for providing content to a client system in accordance with embodiments of the present invention include obtaining content presentation environment information associated with the client system, where the content presentation environment information is based on an operating environment evaluation of the client system, and selecting one of a plurality of versions of the content to send the client system using the obtained content presentation environment information.

A system for determining a current data transfer rate of a client system over a network in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention includes an operation initiation system, a data transmission system, and a current transfer speed detection system. The operation initiation system requests the client system to perform one or more operations. The data transmission system sends data over the network to the client system that the client system needs to perform the one or more requested operations. The current transfer speed detection system then calculates an amount of time taken by the client system to perform the one or more requested operations. The current data transfer rate of the client system is based on the calculated amount of time.

A method and a program storage device readable by a machine and tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine for determining a current data transfer rate of a client system over a network in accordance with embodiments of the present invention include requesting the client system to perform one or more operations, sending data over the network to the client system that the client system needs to perform the one or more requested operations, and calculating an amount of time taken by the client system to perform the one or more requested operations where the current data transfer rate of the client system is based on the calculated amount of time.

The present invention offers a number of benefits in providing a unique and extensible way of seamlessly delivering video content to client systems. The invention relieves operators of the client systems from having to obtain information about their operating environment and/or having to provide that information to the video content source provider before they can receive the appropriate version of the content that can be processed by their system. Thus, operators no longer have to bother selecting from a series of drop down windows or need to input information to identify the particular video player installed on their client system, the video player's version, the particular operating system installed on their client system, the operating system's version, or what network bandwidth speed the client system is connected at. As a result, client system operators will be more likely to wait for the delivery of requested video content since a lesser amount of effort on their part. This will also lead to greatly expanding the video content viewing audience to include client system operators who are not familiar with their system's operating environment information.

Besides the palpable benefits offered by the present invention in making it easier for operators to request and receive video content, other latent benefits will be realized. Organizations will be able to more effectively leverage using video content for conveying vast amounts of information since the chances that the video is actually received and viewed by operators are greatly increased. By way of example only, advertising organizations will have greater success in ensuring their advertisements embedded in video content are actually being received and viewed by potential customers. Further, organizations will be better positioned to exploit the power of using video for motivating, explaining, educating and capturing an operator's attention.

The present invention can provide these benefits because the invention is able to obtain the operating environment information from the operator's system. The present invention is able to obtain a client system's operating environment information quickly, such as in a matter of seconds. Furthermore, the present invention is scaleable and degrades gracefully because the invention provides the best possible video experience to operators regardless of the client system's processing capacity and network bandwidth speed the system is connected at. Further, the present invention is advantageous since operators do not need to download and install any additional software or update their existing video player to be able to seamlessly request, receive, and play the video. Still further, the invention provides a unique way of determining a client system's network bandwidth speed so that the appropriate version of the video for the particular client system can be delivered and played by the system in the best manner available by the particular video player installed on the system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a system for providing content to a client system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a server used in the system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a computer used in the system shown in FIG. 1;

FIGS. 4A-4B are flow charts of a process for providing content to a client system in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of a process for determining the practical connection speed of a client system over a network in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A system 10 and method for providing content to a client system in accordance with embodiments of the present invention are generally shown in FIGS. 1, 4A, 4B and 5. The system 10 includes a server 12 and a computer 14, although the system 10 can include a lesser or greater number of devices and/or systems. The server 12 obtains operating environment information of the computer 14 in response to a request for video content, selects a version of the requested video content that can be received by the computer 14 at the computer's particular connection speed and can be played by the computer 14 using its particular video player, sends the selected video to the computer 14, and causes the computer 14 to automatically begin playing the video without requiring any overt interaction by the operator of the computer 14. The system 10 provides a number of benefits, such as seamlessly delivering video content to client systems. The system 10 also relieves the operators of the client systems from having to know, obtain or provide their system's operating environment information before they can receive and play the video content. Additionally, the system 10 can efficiently determine a client system's practical connection speed over a network 16.

Referring to FIG. 1, the server 12 and computer 14 are communicatively coupled to each other by the network 16. The server 12 and computer 14 are provided for exemplary purposes only and may comprise other devices, such as laptop computers, personal digital assistants, and cellular telephones. Referring to FIG. 2, the server 12 comprises a server processor 20, a server memory 22 and a server I/O unit 24, all of which are coupled together by one or more bus systems or other communication links, although the server 12 can comprise other elements in other arrangements. The server processor 20 executes instructions stored in the server memory 22 to perform at least a portion of a method for providing content to a client system in accordance with at least one of the embodiments of the present invention as described herein and which is illustrated in FIGS. 4-5, although the server processor 20 may perform other types of functions.

The server memory 22 comprises one or more types of fixed or portable memory accessible by the server processor 20, such as ROM, RAM, SRAM, DRAM, DDRAM, hard and floppy-disks, CDs, DVDs, magnetic tape, optical disk, ferroelectric and ferromagnetic memory, electrically erasable programmable read only memory, flash memory, charge coupled devices, smart cards, or any other type of computer-readable media, which are read from and/or written to by a magnetic, optical, or other reading and/or writing system coupled to the server processor 20 or other processing system. The server memory 22 stores data and instructions which are executed by the server processor 20 to perform at least a portion of the method for providing content to a client system, although the memory 22 may store other data and instructions, and the data and instructions may be stored elsewhere, such as the computer memory 32. The stored instructions are expressed as executable programs written in a number of conventional or later developed programming languages that can be understood and executed by the server processor 20.

The server I/O unit 24 comprises a communication interface that enables the server 12 to transmit data to or receive data from the computer I/O unit 34 in the computer 14 via the network 16, although the unit 24 may comprise other types of communication interfaces and may be able to transmit data to or receive data from other devices.

Referring to FIG. 3, the computer 14 comprises a computer processor 30, a computer memory 32, a computer I/O unit 34, an input system (not illustrated) and a display system (not illustrated), all of which are coupled together by one or more bus systems or other communication links, although the computer 14 can comprise other elements in other arrangements. The computer processor 30 executes instructions stored in the computer memory 32 to perform at least a portion of the method for providing content to a client system in accordance with at least one of the embodiments of the present invention as described herein and which is illustrated in FIGS. 4-5, although the computer processor 30 may perform other types of functions.

The computer memory 32 comprises the same types of memory storage devices as the server memory 22 in the server 12 (although other types of memory may be used), which is read from and/or written to by a magnetic, optical, or other reading and/or writing system coupled to the computer processor 30 or other processing system. The computer memory 32 stores data and instructions which are executed by the computer processor 30 to perform at least a portion of the method for providing content to a client system, although the memory 32 may store other data and instructions, and the data and instructions may be stored elsewhere, such as the server memory 22. The stored instructions are expressed as executable programs written in a number of conventional or later developed programming languages that can be understood and executed by the computer processor 30.

The computer I/O unit 34 comprises a communication interface that enables the computer 12 to transmit data to or receive data from the server I/O unit 24 in the server 12 via the network 16, although the unit 34 may comprise other types of communication interfaces and may be able to transmit data to or receive data from other devices. The input system of the computer 14 comprises one or more devices, such as a keyboard and/or mouse, which enables an operator to generate and transmit signals or commands to the computer processor 30, such as a request to obtain video content from a Web site, although other types of systems may be used. The display system of the computer 14 comprises a computer monitor (e.g., CRT, LCD or plasma display device), which presents video content sent from the server 12 to operators of the computer 14, although other types of display systems may be used and other types of content may be presented.

The network 16 comprises the Internet, although a variety of communication systems and/or methods using appropriate protocols can be used, including serial or parallel bus cables, local area networks, wide area networks, phone lines, coaxial cables, wireless communication technology, and combinations thereof.

A method for providing content to a client system in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS. 4-5 in the context of being carried out by the system 10 described above in connection with FIGS. 1-3. Referring to FIG. 4A and beginning at step 100, by way of example only, an operator of the computer 14 using the computer's input system, in conjunction with operation of the computer processor 30, computer memory 32 and computer I/O unit 34, requests a Web page from the server 12. For example, the operator enters a URL in a Web browser operated by the computer 14 to request the Web page from the server 12, although the page can be found using search engines. The server 12, in conjunction with the operation of the server processor 20, server memory 22 and server I/O unit 24, receives the Web page request from the computer 14 and sends the requested Web page over the network 16 to the computer 14. This Web page is coded using hypertext markup language (“HTML”), although other languages and methodologies may be used, such as XML, XHTML, JavaScript, Java, Perl, Visual Basic, Hypertext Preprocessor scripts (“PHP”), Active Server Page scripts (“ASP”), common gate interface (“CGI”) scripts, server side includes, and combinations thereof.

The computer 14 receives the Web page and the Web browser on the computer 14 parses the HTML within the page to display the Web page to the operator using the computer's display system, although the Web browser may utilize other applications operated by the computer 14 to enable the browser to parse any other languages embedded in the code embodying the Web page. The displayed Web page bears one or more hyperlinks to video content that is available for downloading from the server 12 by the computer 14, although other methods besides hyperlinks may be used to select the video content, other types of content may be available for downloading, such as audio content, hypertext content or word processing content, and the content may be downloaded from other sources.

By way of example only, the operator of the computer 14 finds some interesting video content on the Web page and selects a hyperlink on the page that is associated with that content. The Web browser on the computer 14 sends video content request information associated with the selected hyperlink in the code embodying the Web page to the server 12, such as a database identifier for the selected content and a reference to a video content process Web page, although other information may be sent to the server 12. The server 12 receives the video content request information and retrieves a video content process Web page from the server memory 22 for further processing as described further herein below, although the page may be retrieved from other sources. The video content process Web page is coded using a combination of HTML, PHP script and JavaScript, although other languages and other combinations of languages may be used.

The server 12 begins interpreting the video content process Web page to obtain operating environment information of the computer 14 and to generate a video viewing Web page for the computer 14 as described in further detail below in connection with step 230. The server processor 20 in the server 12 interprets one or more sets of PHP script embedded in the code embodying the video content process Web page using a PHP interpreter application stored in the server memory 22, although the application may be stored elsewhere and other applications may be used where other languages are embedded in the code. Thus, the server processor 20 interprets the one or more portions of the PHP script in the code and executes the instructions expressed in those scripts which cause the processor 20 to operate as described below in connection with steps 105-230.

By executing the PHP scripts embedded in the code embodying the video content process Web page, the server processor 20 is instructed to send one or more client processing Web pages to the computer 14 over the network 16. These one or more client processing Web pages are coded using a combination of HTML, Javascript and Visual Basic, although other languages and other combinations of languages may be used. The code embodying the client processing Web pages instruct the computer 14 to provide information to the server 12 when the Web browser on the computer 12 parses the code embodying the one or more client processing Web pages, although the server 12 may instruct the computer 12 to provide the information directly using other methods.

At step 105, the server processor 20 in the server 12 determines whether operating environment information for the computer 14 is available for retrieval from the computer memory 32 in the computer 14. In particular, the server 12 determines whether a cookie file that includes the environment information for the computer 14 is stored at the computer memory 32, although the environment information may be stored in other ways besides a cookie file and at other locations, such as at the server 12, elsewhere on the network 16, or any other location. Further, the cookie file will have been stored by the Web browser operating on the computer 14 as described below in connection with step 210 (FIG. 4B), although the cookie file may be stored in the computer memory 32 by other systems on the network 16 besides the server 12 or the computer 14. If the server 12 determines that the cookie file is stored at the computer memory 32, then the YES branch is followed and step 211 is performed as described further herein below in connection with FIG. 4B. Otherwise, the NO branch is followed.

At step 110, by way of example only, the server 12 determines above at step 105 that there is no cookie file that is available for retrieval from the computer 14. Accordingly, the server 12 obtains the operating environment information from the computer 14 as described further herein below. The server 12 begins by determining the practical connection speed of the computer 14 for sending and receiving data, such as video content, via the network 16, although the server 12 may begin by determining other types of operating environment information.

A method for determining the practical connection speed of the computer 14 over the network 16 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIG. 5, although other methods for detecting the connection speed of the computer 14 may be used. Referring to FIG. 5 and beginning at step 300, the server 12 stores an initial or current clock time at the server memory 22, although other information may be stored, such as date information. The time information is stored in milliseconds, although other increments of time may be used.

At step 310, the server 12 instructs the computer 14 to render a relatively small image associated with an image file stored in the server memory 22, such as a forty-six KB GIF image file, although the server 12 may instruct the computer 14 to perform other types of operations, other file sizes may be used, such as a range of file sizes between forty and seventy KB, other image file formats may be used, other types of files besides image files may be used, and the file may be stored elsewhere.

At step 320, the server 12 determines whether the computer 14 has completed rendering the image file. In particular, the server 12 determines whether a flag stored in server memory 22 has been set by the server processor 20 to indicate that a notification has been received from the computer 14 that the image file has been rendered, although the server 12 may determine that the computer 14 has completed rendering the image file by other means, such as receiving a message directly from the computer 14 over the network 16 or interrogating the computer 14 to determine whether the image file has been rendered.

At step 325, if the server 12 determines that the computer 14 has not completed rendering the image file, then the NO branch is followed and steps 322-330 (step 330 is described further herein below) are performed by the server 12 until the server 12 determines at step 325 that the computer 14 has completed rending the image file or until a maximum time limit has elapsed as described below in connection with step 330. If the server 12 determines that the computer 14 has completed rendering the image file, then the YES branch is followed.

At step 330, the server 12 determines whether a maximum time limit has elapsed for waiting for the computer 14 to complete rendering the image file. The amount of elapsed time used for the maximum time limit in this example is approximately three seconds, although other amounts of time may be used and the amount of time may be set according to an initial connection speed for the computer 14 over the network 16, or the amount of time may be set according to other factors. If the server 12 determines that the amount of time which has elapsed from when the server 12 instructed the computer 14 to render the image file is less than the maximum time limit, then the NO branch is followed. However, if the server 12 determines that the maximum time limit has been reached or exceeded, then the YES branch is followed and step 370 is performed as described below, although the server 12 may determine that the computer 14 has aborted rendering the image file or is otherwise unavailable in which case the method ends. Using a maximum time limit is advantageous because the server 12 can determine that the practical connection speed of the computer 14 over the network 16 is below a first bandwidth threshold and thus no further processing resources of the server 12 and/or time will be spent waiting for the computer 14 to complete rendering the image file.

At step 340, the server 12 stores the current clock time of when the computer 14 completed rendering the image file at the server memory 22, although other information may be stored, such as date information. Again, the time information is stored in milliseconds, although other increments of time may be used.

At step 350, the server 12 calculates the practical connection speed of the computer 14 using the initial clock time stored by the server 12 at step 300 (representing the time at which the computer 14 was instructed to render the image file) and the completion time stored by the server 12 at step 340 (representing the time at which the computer 14 completed rendering the image file). Basically, the amount of time that has elapsed between the initial clock time and the completion clock time corresponds to the amount of time taken by the computer 14 to receive the image file over the network 16. However, there are some factors that may affect the amount of time that elapses. These factors include time elapsing that is not related to the actual transmission of the image file over the network 16, such as the amount of time required for the server 12 to instruct the computer 14 to render the image file, the amount of time used by the computer 14 in order to process the image file during the rendering, and other factors.

Thus, the server 12 adjusts the total amount of elapsed time between the initial time and the completion time calculated by the server 12 to account for these factors, such as by subtracting from the total amount of elapsed time an expected or estimated amount of time taken by the server 12 to instruct the computer 14 to render the image file, an expected or estimated amount of time taken by the computer 14 to process the instructions for rendering the image file, or an expected or estimated amount of time taken by the computer 14 for rendering the image file, although adjustments may be made for other reasons. This helps the server 12 make a more precise determination of the practical connection speed of the computer 14 over the network 16. The server 12 then calculates the practical connection speed of the computer 12 over the network 16 based on the adjusted total amount of elapsed time for rendering the image file and the size of the image file, although the server 12 may use other information.

At step 355, the server 12 determines whether the practical connection speed of the computer 14 calculated above at step 350 meets or exceeds a high bandwidth threshold stored in the server memory 22. By way of example only, the server 12 may associate a high bandwidth threshold with a practical connection speed of one megabyte per second, although other values may be used. If the server 12 determines that the practical connection speed of the computer 14 does not exceed the high bandwidth threshold (e.g., one megabyte per second), then the NO branch is followed. However, if the server 12 determines that the practical connection speed of the computer 14 meets or exceeds the high bandwidth threshold, then the YES branch is followed.

At step 360, the server 12 assigns a bandwidth variable stored in the server memory 22 a value indicating that the practical connection speed of the computer 14 exceeds the high bandwidth threshold, such as “HIGHBAND,” and this value is stored in the server memory 22 for further processing as described herein, although other values may be used. The method continues to step 375 as described further herein below.

At step 370, since the server 12 determines that the practical connection speed of the computer 14 over the network 16 does not exceed the high bandwidth threshold at step 355, the server 12 assigns the bandwidth variable a value indicating that the practical connection speed of the computer 14 does not exceed the high bandwidth threshold, such as “LOWBAND,” and this value is stored in the server memory 22 for further processing as described herein, although other values may be used. It should be appreciated that the bandwidth variable may be associated with any number of and different types of values indicating the practical connection speed of the computer 14. This provides the ability to identify one of a plurality of ranges of connection speeds that the practical connection speed of the computer 14 corresponds to besides just the exemplary low and high bandwidth ranges used herein.

In performing steps 300-370, the server 12 is basically determining the practical connection speed of the computer 14 by measuring the amount of time it takes for the computer 14 to download the image file from the server 12 to be able to render the image once the computer 14 has received all of the data embodying the image file over the network 16. This provides a unique method of determining the practical connection speed of the computer 14 over the network 16 that will work with most, if not all, types of systems (e.g., computer 14) regardless of the hardware or software components employed by these systems. Because the size of the image file is relatively small and the method incurs low processing overhead on the part of the server 12 and computer 14, systems with limited processing capacity and/or relatively slow connection speeds over the network 16, such as systems connected to the network 16 via phone line dial-up connections, will not be hindered. Moreover, systems that are connected to the network 16 via slow telephone dial-up connections may not even realize that this detection process is taking place (or has taken place).

Furthermore, determining the practical connection speed of the computer 14 over the network 16 accounts for changes in the rate at which the computer 14 can receive data from the network 16. The rate at which the computer 14 is expected to be able to receive data from the network 16 may be different from the practical connection speed of the computer 14 over the network 16. For instance, processing demands imposed on the server 12 and/or the computer 14 may fluctuate or traffic on the network 16 may change, which could alter the practical connection speed. If a version of streaming video content is formatted for transmission to the computer 14 over the network 16 with the assumption that the computer 14 will be able to receive this video over the network 16 at a particular speed, and the practical connection speed of the computer 14 deviates from the assumed particular speed, the quality of the video content when played by the computer 14 may be deprecated or the computer 14 may not be able to play the video at all. Thus, determining the practical connection speed ensures that a version of the video content sent to the computer 14 is formatted appropriately for the particular practical connection speed of the computer 14 over the network 16 at the time the video is requested.

At step 375, the method for providing content to a client system continues to step 115 as described herein below with reference back to FIG. 4A.

Referring back to FIG. 4A, at step 115, the server 12 determines whether the computer memory 32 in the computer 14 stores instructions, which when executed by the computer processor 30, operate a QuickTime® video player application. The server 12 determines whether the computer 14 operates the QuickTime® video player based on JavaScript code embedded in a client processing Web page sent to the computer 14, which when parsed by the Web browser on the computer 14, causes the computer 14 to send the information to the server 12. In particular, the computer 14 returns a value indicating whether it operates the QuickTime® video player, such as a Boolean true or false value, although other types of values may be used and the server 12 may determine whether the computer 14 operates the QuickTime® video player using other methods. If the server 12 determines that the computer 14 is operating the QuickTime® video player, then the YES branch is followed. Otherwise, the NO branch is followed.

At step 120, the server 12 assigns a playertype variable stored in the server memory 22 a value indicating that the computer 14 operates the QuickTime® video player, such as “QT,” although other values and variables may be used. The method for providing content to a client system as described herein proceeds to step 140.

At step 130, since the server 12 determined above at step 115 that the computer 14 does not operate the QuickTime® video player, the server 12 determines that the computer 14 is operating a Windows Media Player® video player and assigns the playertype variable a value indicating this determination, such as “WM,” although other values may be used and other video players may be determined to be operated by the computer 14. It should be appreciated that the Windows Media Player® and QuickTime® video players are provided for exemplary purposes only. Thus, the server 12 may determine whether the computer 14 operates other types of video players, such as RealVideo®. Moreover, the server 12 may determine whether the computer 14 operates other types of content player devices besides video players, such as audio players, HTML Web page editor applications, and word processing applications.

At step 140, the server 12 determines the type of operating system that the computer 14 operates in the same manner with respect to the server 12 determining the type of video player the computer 14 operates as described above in connection with steps 115 and/or 130. Additionally, the server 12 determines other operating environment information of the computer 14, such as the version of the operating system operated by the computer 14, the type and version of the Web browser operated by the computer 14, and other information, in the same manner with respect to the server 12 determining the type of video player the computer 14 operates as described above in connection with steps 115 and/or 130, although other methods may be used.

By way of example only, the server 12 may determine the type of Web browser the computer 14 operates (e.g., Internet Explorer®, Netscape Navigator®) based on JavaScript code embedded in a client processing Web page sent to the computer 14 which when parsed and interpreted by the Web browser on the computer 14 causes the computer 14 to send the Web browser type information to the server 12, or the server 12 may obtain this information when the server 12 interprets a portion of the PHP script (or other script) embedded in the code embodying the video content process Web page at step 105. In particular, the server 12 may extract information identifying the particular type of Web browser operated by the computer 14 from a user agent string sent along with the HTTP request from the computer 14 for the Web page bearing the hyperlinks to the available video content at step 100.

At step 150, the server 12 assigns an OS type variable stored in the server memory 22 a value identifying the type of operating system operated by the computer 14 that is determined above at step 140, such as “WIN” or “MAC,” corresponding to the Windows® and MacIntosh® operating systems, respectively, although other types of operating systems may be determined. The method continues to step 155 described herein below in connection with FIG. 4B.

Referring to FIG. 4B, at step 155, the server 12 determines whether the bandwidth variable was assigned a value of “HIGHBAND” at step 360 and whether the OS type variable was assigned a value of “WIN” at step 150. If the server 12 determines that the bandwidth variable was assigned a value of “HIGHBAND” and that the OS type variable was assigned a value of “WIN,” then the YES branch is followed. Otherwise, the NO branch is followed.

At step 160, the server 12 assigns a client environment type variable stored in the server memory 22 with a value, such as “WH,” which indicates that the computer 14 has a practical connection speed over the network 16 corresponding to a high bandwidth and that the computer 14 operates a Windows Media Player® video player, although other values may be used and the client environment type variable or other variables may be assigned values indicating other operating environment characteristics of the computer 14. The method for providing content to a client system then proceeds to step 210 as described further herein below.

At step 165, the server 12 determines whether the bandwidth variable was assigned a value of “HIGHBAND” at step 360 and whether the OS type variable was assigned a value of “MAC” at step 150. If the server 12 determines that the bandwidth variable was assigned a value of “HIGHBAND” and that the OS type variable was assigned a value of “MAC,” then the YES branch is followed. Otherwise, the NO branch is followed.

At step 170, the server 12 assigns the client environment type variable with a value, such as “QH,” which indicates that the computer 14 has a practical connection speed over the network 16 corresponding to a high bandwidth and that the computer 14 operates a QuickTime® videoplayer, although other values may be used and the type variable or other variables may be assigned values indicating other operating environment characteristics of the computer 14. The method for providing content to a client system then proceeds to step 210 as described further herein below.

At step 175, the server 12 determines whether the bandwidth variable was assigned a value of “LOWBAND” at step 370 and whether the OS type variable was assigned a value of “MAC” at step 150. If the server 12 determines that the bandwidth variable was assigned a value of “LOWBAND” and that the OS type variable was assigned a value of “MAC,” then the YES branch is followed. Otherwise, the NO branch is followed.

At step 180, the server 12 determines whether the playertype variable was assigned a value of “QT” at step 120. If the server 12 determines that the playertype variable was assigned a value of “QT,” then the YES branch is followed. Otherwise, the NO branch is followed.

At step 190, the server 12 assigns the client environment type variable a value, such as “QL,” which indicates that the computer 14 has a practical connection speed over the network 16 corresponding to a low bandwidth and that the computer 14 is operating a QuickTime® video player, although other values may be used and the type variable or other variables may be assigned values indicating other operating environment characteristics of the computer 14. The method for providing content to a client system then proceeds to step 210 as described further herein below.

At step 200, the server 12 assigns the client environment type variable a value, such as “WL,” which indicates that the computer 14 has a practical connection speed over the network 16 corresponding to a low bandwidth and that the computer 14 is operating a Windows Media Player® video player, although other values may be used and the type variable or other variables may be assigned values indicating other operating environment characteristics of the computer 14.

At step 210, the server 12 instructs the computer 14 to store, at the computer memory 32, the client environment type variable and the value assigned to the variable at one of steps 160, 170, 190 and 200, although the client environment type variable and its associated value can be stored elsewhere. In particular, one or more HTML statements embedded in a client processing Web page sent to the computer 14 that are parsed and interpreted by the Web browser on the computer 14 cause the Web browser, and hence the computer processor 30, to store the client environment type variable and its associated value in a cookie file at the computer memory 32 that is associated with the server 12, although the client environment type variable and its associated value may be stored in other ways besides a cookie file.

The client environment type variable and its associated value in the cookie file represent the operating environment information for the computer 14 with respect to the computer 14 being able to receive and play video content sent from the server 12. This is highly beneficial since the cookie file can be retrieved by the server 12 upon determining the cookie file is available at step 105 when the computer 12 makes subsequent requests for video content as described above in connection with step 100. As a result, it will not be necessary to repeat steps 110-210 since the operating environment information of the computer 14 is available.

However, even when the server 12 determines at step 105 that the cookie file is available for retrieval, steps 110-230 can optionally be performed to determine whether any portions of the operating environment information of the computer 14 have changed, such as the type of video player operated by the computer 14. Alternatively, when the server 12 determines at step 105 that the cookie file is available for retrieval, just steps 110 and 300-370 can optionally be performed to determine the practical connection speed of the computer 14 over the network 16. This would ensure the current practical connection speed of the computer 14 at the time the request is made for the video content is known by the server 12. As discussed above in connection with steps 300-370, determining the practical connection speed of the computer 14 over the network 16 is beneficial for several reasons, such as for enabling the server 12 to select the appropriate version of the video content for sending to the computer 14 to ensure the computer 14 will be able to play the video. The method for providing content to a client system continues to step 215 as described further herein below.

At step 211, if the server 12 determined above at step 105 that the cookie file was available for retrieval from the computer memory 32, then the server 12 obtains the client environment type variable and its associated value from the cookie file stored in the computer memory 32.

At step 215, the server 12 determines whether the client environment type variable was assigned a value of “WH” or “WL” at steps 160 or 200, respectively. If the server 12 determines that the client environment type variable was assigned a value of “WH” or “WL,” then the YES branch is followed. Otherwise, the NO branch is followed.

At step 220, the server 12 determines the version number of the Windows Media Player® video player operated by the computer 14 in the same manner the server 12 determines the type of operating system or the type of Web browser that the computer 14 operates as described above in connection with step 140, although the server 12 may use other methods. By way of example only, the server 12 determines whether the version number of the Windows Media Player® video player is version 6.4, version 7.1, or a version later than version 7.1, although the server 12 may determine whether the computer 14 operates other versions of Windows Media Player®, the server 12 may determine the version number of the QuickTime® video player if operated by the computer 14, the server 12 may determine the version number of any other video players determined to be operated by the computer 14, or the server 12 may determine the version number of any other types of content players, such as audio content players, determined to be operated by the computer 14. When the server 12 determines the version number of the Windows Media Player®, the server 12 assigns a version number variable stored in the server memory 22 a value indicating the determined version, although the server 12 may use other methods to indicate the version of the Windows Media Player®.

At step 230, the server 12 uses at least a portion of the operating environment information of the computer 14 to determine the appropriate version of the video content selected by the operator of the computer 14 at step 100 for sending to the computer 14. As discussed above, the operating environment information is indicated by the value assigned to the client environment type variable at one of steps 160, 170, 190 and 200. A plurality of versions of the video content are stored in the server memory 22, although the video may be stored elsewhere. Each version of the video content is formatted to be received by a client system, such as the computer 14, at a particular data transfer rate and to be played by a particular video player operated by the client system.

By way of example only, a first version of the video content may be formatted to be received by a client system that has a high bandwidth practical connection speed over the network 16 (e.g., at least one megabyte per second data transfer rate) and formatted to be played by the client system operating a Windows Media Player® video player. A second version of the same video content may be formatted to be received by a client system that has a low bandwidth practical connection speed over the network 16 (e.g., less than one megabyte per second data transfer rate) and formatted to be played by the client system operating a Quicktime® video player. In this example, if the client environment type variable was assigned a value of “WL” at step 200, then the server 12 selects the version of the video content that is formatted to be received by the computer 14 identified as having a low bandwidth practical connection speed over the network 16 and formatted to be played by the computer 14 operating a Windows Media Player® video player.

Further, if the server 12 determines above at step 215 that the client environment type variable is associated with a value of “WH” or “WL,” then the server 12 selects the appropriate version of the video content for sending to the computer 14 that will enable the computer 14 to play the video content using the Windows Media Player® version 6.4 or 7.1 or higher video player and which can be received by the computer 14 having a low or high bandwidth connection speed over the network 16. For instance, there may be two versions of the video content corresponding to a client environment type variable value of “WH” where both versions can be received by the computer 14 having a high bandwidth connection speed over the network 16, but one version of the video can be played by the computer 14 operating the Windows Media Player® version 6.4 and the other version of the video can be played by operating the Windows Media Player® version 7.1 or higher.

The server 12 completes generating the video viewing Web page for the computer 14 after interpreting the one or more sets of the PHP script embedded in the code embodying the video content process Web page described earlier in connection with step 100. As the server 12 interprets the PHP scripts embedded in the code, the server 12 replaces the PHP scripts with HTML and/or JavaScript which include information for playing the video content, although the scripts may be replaced with other information besides HTML and/or JavaScript. The information for playing the video content identifies the particular video content selected by the operator of the computer 14 at step 100, the location of the appropriate version of the selected video content at the server memory 22 or elsewhere, window and/or frame size information for the Web browser and/or the video player operating on the computer 14 that is appropriate for the selected version of the video content to be sent, formatting information for the Web browser and/or the video player, such as information for removing frame borders, data transfer rate information that the computer 14 can expect the server 12 to transmit the video content at, file size information, instructions for the computer 14 to operate its video player to begin playing the video content, and other information.

The server 12 sends the video viewing Web page to the computer 14 over the network 16. The computer 14 receives the video viewing Web page and the Web browser on the computer 14 parses the code embodying the Web page. The HTML and/or JavaScript in the code embodying the video viewing Web page when parsed by the Web browser on the computer 14 instruct the computer 14 to begin operating its video player application to play the appropriate version of the video content for the computer 14 that is selected by the server 12 and sent from the server 12. Accordingly, the server 12 retrieves the appropriate version of the video content for the computer 14 from the server memory 22 and sends the video to the computer 14 over the network 16 at the appropriate data transfer rate for the computer 14 as determined above.

As a result, the computer 14 is able to begin playing the appropriate version of the video content immediately after the video content is selected and requested by the operator of the computer 14 at step 100. It should be appreciated that when the video content is requested by the operator of the computer 14, steps 105-240 are performed and the video is sent to the computer 14 seamlessly without requiring any further interaction by the operator of the computer 14. Further, steps 105-240 are performed quickly, such as in a matter of seconds, regardless of the connection speed of the computer 14 over the network 16. Thus, it is likely that the operator of the computer 14 will not realize that steps 105-240 are being performed to determine the appropriate version of video to send the computer 14.

While particular embodiments have been described, alternatives, modifications, variations, improvements, and substantial equivalents that are or may be presently unforeseen may arise to applicants or others skilled in the art. Accordingly, the appended claims as filed, and as they may be amended, are intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, variations, improvements, and substantial equivalents. Further, the recited order of processing elements or sequences, or the use of numbers, letters, or other designations therefor, is not intended to limit the claimed processes to any order except as may be specified in the claims. 

1. A system for providing content to a client system, the system comprising: an assessment system that obtains content presentation environment information associated with the client system, wherein the content presentation environment information is based on an operating environment evaluation of the client system performed by an evaluation system; and a content processing system that selects one of a plurality of versions of the content to send the client system using the obtained content presentation environment information.
 2. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the obtained content presentation environment information comprises a first identifier for a content presentation application associated with the client system and a second identifier for a content transfer rate associated with the client system.
 3. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the evaluation system performs the operating environment evaluation of the client system by determining at least one of a current content transfer rate for the client system, one or more types or versions of one or more Web browsers associated with the client system, one or more types or versions of one or more content presentation applications associated with the client system, and one or more types or versions of one or more operating systems associated with the client system.
 4. The system as set forth in claim 3 wherein the evaluation system determines the current content transfer rate for the client system by sending an operation execution request to the client system and calculating an amount of time taken by the client system to perform an operation associated with the operation execution request, wherein the amount of time is measured from when the operation execution request is sent until the evaluation system is notified that the client system completed performing the operation.
 5. The system as set forth in claim 4 wherein the operation comprises rendering an image transmitted from the evaluation system to the client system.
 6. The system as set forth in claim 3 wherein the one or more types of content presentation applications comprise at least one of a video presentation application, an audio presentation application, a hypertext document presentation application, and a document processing application.
 7. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the content presentation environment information is stored at a location accessible to the client system.
 8. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the assessment system determines whether stored content presentation environment information is available for retrieval from the client system, wherein the evaluation system evaluates the operating environment of the client system to obtain the content presentation environment information if the stored content presentation environment information is determined to be unavailable.
 9. The system as set forth in claim 8 wherein the assessment system stores the obtained content presentation environment information at a location accessible to the client system.
 10. The system as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a content delivery system that sends the selected content to the client system in response to a request from the client system, wherein neither the assessment system, the evaluation system, the content processing system, nor the content delivery system request any additional information from the client system.
 11. The system as set forth in claim 10 wherein the content delivery system sends the selected content at a content transfer rate that the selected content is formatted to be sent at.
 12. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the content comprises at least one of video content, audio content, hypertext content and document content.
 13. A method for providing content to a client system, the method comprising: obtaining content presentation environment information associated with the client system, wherein the content presentation environment information is based on an operating environment evaluation of the client system; and selecting one of a plurality of versions of the content to send the client system using the obtained content presentation environment information.
 14. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the obtained content presentation environment information comprises a first identifier for a content presentation application associated with the client system and a second identifier for a content transfer rate associated with the client system.
 15. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the obtaining content presentation environment information associated with the client system comprises performing the operating environment evaluation of the client system by determining at least one of a current content transfer rate for the client system, one or more types or versions of one or more Web browsers associated with the client system, one or more types or versions of one or more content presentation applications associated with the client system, and one or more types or versions of one or more operating systems associated with the client system.
 16. The method as set forth in claim 15 wherein the determining a current content transfer rate for the client system comprises sending an operation execution request to the client system and calculating an amount of time taken by the client system to perform an operation associated with the operation execution request, wherein the amount of time is measured from when the operation execution request is sent until a notification that the client system completed performing the operation is received.
 17. The method as set forth in claim 16 wherein the operation associated with the operation execution request that is performed by the client system comprises rendering an image transmitted to the client system.
 18. The method as set forth in claim 15 wherein the one or more types of content presentation applications comprise at least one of a video presentation application, an audio presentation application, a hypertext document presentation application, and a document processing application.
 19. The method as set forth in claim 13 wherein the content presentation environment information is stored at a location accessible to the client system.
 20. The method as set forth in claim 13 wherein the obtaining content presentation environment information associated with the client system comprises determining whether stored content presentation environment information is available for retrieval from the client system, and evaluating the operating environment of the client system to obtain the content presentation environment information if the stored content presentation environment information is determined to be unavailable.
 21. The method as set forth in claim 20 further comprising storing the obtained content presentation environment information at a location accessible to the client system.
 22. The method as set forth in claim 13 further comprising sending the selected content to the client system in response to a request from the client system without requesting any additional information from the client system.
 23. The method as set forth in claim 22 wherein the selected content is sent at a content transfer rate that the selected content is formatted to be sent at.
 24. The method as set forth in claim 13 wherein the content comprises at least one of video content, audio content, hypertext content and document content.
 25. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions for providing content to a client system, which when executed by at least one processor, causes the processor to perform: obtaining content presentation environment information associated with the client system, wherein the content presentation environment information is based on an operating environment evaluation of the client system; and selecting one of a plurality of versions of the content to send the client system using the obtained content presentation environment information.
 26. The medium as set forth in claim 25 wherein the obtained content presentation environment information comprises a first identifier for a content presentation application associated with the client system and a second identifier for a content transfer rate associated with the client system.
 27. The medium as set forth in claim 25 wherein the obtaining content presentation environment information associated with the client system comprises performing the operating environment evaluation of the client system by determining at least one of a current content transfer rate for the client system, one or more types or versions of one or more Web browsers associated with the client system, one or more types or versions of one or more content presentation applications associated with the client system, and one or more types or versions of one or more operating systems associated with the client system.
 28. The medium as set forth in claim 27 wherein the determining a current content transfer rate for the client system comprises sending an operation execution request to the client system and calculating an amount of time taken by the client system to perform an operation associated with the operation execution request, wherein the amount of time is measured from when the operation execution request is sent until a notification that the client system completed performing the operation is received.
 29. The medium as set forth in claim 28 wherein the operation associated with the operation execution request that is performed by the client system comprises rendering an image transmitted to the client system.
 30. The medium as set forth in claim 27 wherein the one or more types of content presentation applications comprise at least one of a video presentation application, an audio presentation application, a hypertext document presentation application, and a document processing application.
 31. The medium as set forth in claim 25 wherein the content presentation environment information is stored at a location accessible to the client system.
 32. The medium as set forth in claim 25 wherein the obtaining content presentation environment information associated with the client system comprises determining whether stored content presentation environment information is available for retrieval from the client system, and evaluating the operating environment of the client system to obtain the content presentation environment information if the stored content presentation environment information is determined to be unavailable.
 33. The medium as set forth in claim 32 further comprising storing the obtained content presentation environment information at a location accessible to the client system.
 34. The medium as set forth in claim 25 further comprising sending the selected content to the client system in response to a request from the client system without requesting any additional information from the client system.
 35. The medium as set forth in claim 34 wherein the selected content is sent at a content transfer rate that the selected content is formatted to be sent at.
 36. The medium as set forth in claim 25 wherein the content comprises at least one of video content, audio content, hypertext content and document content.
 37. A system for determining a current data transfer rate of a client system over a network, the system comprising: an operation initiation system that requests the client system to perform one or more operations; a data transmission system that sends data over the network to the client system, wherein the client system needs the data to perform the one or more requested operations; and a current transfer speed detection system that calculates an amount of time taken by the client system to perform the one or more requested operations, wherein the current data transfer rate of the client system is based on the calculated amount of time.
 38. The system as set forth in claim 37 wherein the current transfer speed detection system measures the amount of time from when the one or more operations are requested until the client system completes performing the one or more operations.
 39. The system as set forth in claim 37 wherein the operation initiation system instructs the client system to render one or more images.
 40. The system as set forth in claim 37 wherein the data sent over the network to the client system by the data transmission system comprises one or more image files.
 41. The system as set forth in claim 40 wherein a size of one or more of the image files is in a range between about forty and about seventy kilobytes.
 42. The system as set forth in claim 40 wherein a size of one or more of the image files is about forty-six kilobytes.
 43. The system as set forth in claim 37 wherein the current transfer speed detection system waits for the client system to complete performing the one or more operations before calculating the amount of time taken by the client system to perform the one or more requested operations until a maximum time limit has elapsed.
 44. The system as set forth in claim 37 wherein the current transfer speed detection system adjusts the calculated amount of time to account for one or more factors, wherein the current data transfer rate of the client system comprises the adjusted calculated amount of time.
 45. The system as set forth in claim 44 wherein the one or more factors comprise at least one of an amount of the data transmitted to the client system over the network, a first estimated amount of time taken to request the client system to perform the one or more operations, and a second estimated amount of time taken by the client system to process instructions for performing the one or more requested operations.
 46. A method for determining a current data transfer rate of a client system over a network, the method comprising: requesting the client system to perform one or more operations; sending data over the network to the client system, wherein the client system needs the data to perform the one or more requested operations; and calculating an amount of time taken by the client system to perform the one or more requested operations, wherein the current data transfer rate of the client system is based on the calculated amount of time.
 47. The method as set forth in claim 46 wherein the calculating an amount of time taken by the client system to perform the one ore more requested operations further comprises measuring the amount of time from when the one or more operations are requested until the client system completes performing the one or more operations.
 48. The method as set forth in claim 46 wherein the requesting the client system to perform one or more operations further comprises instructing the client system to render one or more images.
 49. The method as set forth in claim 46 wherein the data sent over the network to the client system comprises one or more image files.
 50. The method as set forth in claim 49 wherein a size of one or more of the image files is in a range between about forty and about seventy kilobytes.
 51. The method as set forth in claim 49 wherein a size of one or more of the image files is about forty-six kilobytes.
 52. The method as set forth in claim 46 further comprising waiting for the client system to complete performing the one or more operations before calculating the amount of time taken by the client system to perform the one or more requested operations until a maximum time limit has elapsed.
 53. The method as set forth in claim 46 further comprising adjusting the calculated amount of time to account for one or more factors, wherein the current data transfer rate of the client system comprises the adjusted calculated amount of time.
 54. The method as set forth in claim 53 wherein the one or more factors comprise at least one of an amount of the data transmitted to the client system over the network, a first estimated amount of time taken to request the client system to perform the one or more operations, and a second estimated amount of time taken by the client system to process instructions for performing the one or more requested operations.
 55. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions for determining a current data transfer rate of a client system over a network, which when executed by at least one processor, causes the processor to perform: requesting the client system to perform one or more operations; sending data over the network to the client system, wherein the client system needs the data to perform the one or more requested operations; and calculating an amount of time taken by the client system to perform the one or more requested operations, wherein the current data transfer rate of the client system is based on the calculated amount of time.
 56. The medium as set forth in claim 55 wherein the calculating an amount of time taken by the client system to perform the one ore more requested operations further comprises measuring the amount of time from when the one or more operations are requested until the client system completes performing the one or more operations.
 57. The medium as set forth in claim 55 wherein the requesting the client system to perform one or more operations further comprises instructing the client system to render one or more images.
 58. The medium as set forth in claim 55 wherein the data sent over the network to the client system comprises one or more image files.
 59. The medium as set forth in claim 58 wherein a size of one or more of the image files is in a range between about forty and about seventy kilobytes.
 60. The medium as set forth in claim 58 wherein a size of one or more of the image files is about forty-six kilobytes.
 61. The medium as set forth in claim 55 further comprising waiting for the client system to complete performing the one or more operations before calculating the amount of time taken by the client system to perform the one or more requested operations until a maximum time limit has elapsed.
 62. The medium as set forth in claim 55 further comprising adjusting the calculated amount of time to account for one or more factors, wherein the current data transfer rate of the client system comprises the adjusted calculated amount of time.
 63. The medium as set forth in claim 62 wherein the one or more factors comprise at least one of an amount of the data transmitted to the client system over the network, a first estimated amount of time taken to request the client system to perform the one or more operations, and a second estimated amount of time taken by the client system to process instructions for performing the one or more requested operations. 